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“Good.” He brought his lips closer to my ear. “Now, are you going to play nice?”
I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to give up so easily. But when he pressed the knife even harder against my skin and drew blood, I didn’t have a choice.
Biting back tears, I parted my lips, my body recoiling at the thought of surrendering to this monster. My compliance was on the tip of my tongue when a commotion erupted nearby, pulling his attention away from me.
In one swift motion, the weight that had been crushing me was gone, the unmistakable sound of cracking bones echoing in the alley.
I pushed myself off the ground and scrambled to my feet, finding an imposing figure standing over my attacker, who now lay in a heap on the ground. I didn’t know if he was dead or just unconscious.
Before I could worry about that, the figure turned toward me and his piercing blue eyes met mine.
“You,” I exhaled, my breaths coming quicker as the world spun around me, my heartbeat erratic.
Concern widened his gaze. He erased the distance between us, sweeping me into his arms and pressing a hand against my heart.
Just like Samuel once did.
That was the last thing I thought before the dizziness consumed me and everything went black.
ChapterSeven
Imogene
“Good news, Ms. Prescott,” a man wearing blue scrubs and a white coat announced, walking into the hospital room where I’d been subjected to various tests over the past hour.
I was already being lifted out of the back seat of the mystery man’s SUV and carried into the emergency room by the time I finally came around. Regardless of what I attempted to tell him or any of the medical staff, that the dizziness and fainting spell was simply because of a sudden increase in adrenaline from the attack, they refused to listen.
“The results from all your tests came back clear with no abnormalities.”
I bit my lip, fighting the urge to tell him I predicted as much. This wasn’t my first rodeo. I would have known if there was a problem with my heart. I was fine, all things considered.
“You do have a mild concussion, though. Nothing to be too concerned with, but I want to keep you here for observation until morning. I recommend you follow up with your cardiologist within the next week.”
“Of course.”
By this point, I was all too familiar with the drill. Whenever I was involved in anything remotely stressful, even something as minor as a fender bender, I was forced to endure a myriad of tests with my cardiologist to make sure there weren’t any adverse complications to my heart.
There never were, but because I had several open heart surgeries before I was even ten years old, I would always be at a higher risk of having heart-related complications.
“I’ll let you get some rest. A nurse will be in to check on you shortly. I can also send your friend back in, if you’d like.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He gave me one last nod and stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind him. Once I was finally alone, I fell back against the uncomfortable pillows and sighed.
What a way to end my first week of work. Spending the night in the hospital definitely wasn’t on my bingo card for the day. I was beginning to wonder if maybe I should have just moved in with Liam.
Would that have changed anything, though? The necklaces hadn’t only been sent to my house. I’d also received one at work, as well as at the club. Whoever this guy was, he was able to get to me anywhere. Anytime.
No doubt he would have been able to get to me at Liam’s house, too.
A loud, determined knock ripped through the relative silence, jolting me out of my thoughts.
“Come in,” I called without looking up, assuming it was Melanie.
But when the door opened, it wasn’t my best friend who entered.
It was my mystery man.
